A/N: Hello and welcome to chapter 15. So, what lame-ass excuse am I going to use for my delay? Well, I hit writer's block badly, so there was three-four weeks or so of doing nothing. Then, when I did start to write, I got about halfway through before I realized it was utter shit, and decided to start it over.

I also decided to combine chapter 15 and 16 together, just so we can have one awesome-ass boss fight.

Of Crossed Swords

Summary: Jane was frustrated with being the weakest link on her team, tired of being the damsel in distress, and she ran into the Emerald Forest only to stumble upon the blade Soul Edge. Touching it transforms her into a monster, and Pyrrha doesn't know if she can bring her back…

*The Price of Freedom (Finale)*

Nightmare smirked when she saw the heavy fortifications guarding the entrance to Atlas. 'Fools. They really think mere men will be able to stop me and my blade? They will be nothing more than food for my master.'

She raised Soul Edge above her head and used the power of the cursed sword to send a pillar of red light into the sky, tearing the heavens open to reveal the plane of Astral Chaos. The sky became dark and red, and the blonde knight grinned when she heard the shrill wail of the warning sirens in the distance. "That's right…come to me. You will all be devoured by my blade!"

She needed to get that fragment of Soul Edge and destroy Calibur if Inferno wanted to be whole again. But first, she needed to clear herself a route to the city. She wasn't going to be able to walk in sword swinging and expect to come out alive. She needed to strategize and use her powers to their full potential.

Soul Edge's eye blinked, glowing with power, and she heard Inferno speak through the sword to her. "Summon the very stars themselves. They will create the hole you need. Atlas is strong, but they are arrogant. Weaken their defenses, and they'll become panicked."

She hadn't used Meteorain in some time, not since she was sent out to kill Hilda when she operated under Salem. But she was much stronger now and Nightmare called forth her greatest weapon of bringing down the cosmos. "Let the heavens fall…"

A burst of red energy spat out of the fleshy blade, and Nightmare watched with a hateful smile as six burning chunks of rock fell down. The first two lines of defense were destroyed in seconds, and she groaned out in desire as she consumed the souls of hundreds of soldiers at once. She could taste them, and she heard Inferno growl in satisfaction.

"Yes, my dearest. Give me more," he ordered.

He was still so, so hungry. She would gladly spill blood for him. Nightmare took a few steps closer and a high caliber dust round pinged off her armor. Her red gaze flicked upward to one of the watchtowers, and she saw the glare coming off of the rifle's scope through the thick billowing smoke. With her lips curved in a smirk, Soul Edge became cloaked in fire and she sent a burst of flame towards the sniper.

She was rewarded by the most delightful shrill screams of pain as the hungry flames devoured the man. The smell of cooked meat filled the air and she breathed it in with a groan. Damn, that smell was so enticing for her.

"More, my dearest. Give me more souls!" Inferno commanded.

Nightmare smiled cruelly and proceeded to make her way through the charred remains of Atlas's prideful military. She could smell the fragment of Soul Edge hidden in Atlas's vault and she felt Soul Edge quiver in her hands in anticipation of becoming whole once again.

The very earth itself began to tremble and shake, prompting the blonde knight of darkness to turn around. She saw the approaching black masses in the distance and smirked. The creations of the God of Darkness were rapidly approaching to serve their new master, the one who had bested even the immortal Grimm Queen herself. The one who was the true incarnation of death and despair.

"Yes, my underlings. Kill everything that lives," she ordered. The ships would be busy with the Nevermores and Griffons, leaving the ground assault for her and the Grimm that couldn't fly. The thundering footsteps of a dozen Goliaths sounded off in the distance and the rapidly approaching snarls of Ursai and Beowolves grew louder and louder with each passing second.

With Soul Edge in hand, she continued through the city's main gates as the siege began. This was the final assault, the final effort to truly plunge Remnant into a state of fear and despair. With Atlas gone, the last flames of hope would be mercilessly doused. She would reign supreme over the world.

Inside the city, she could hear the screams of the people as they desperately tried to run for their lives. As if that would spare the fools. Running only delayed their inevitable fate of being consumed by Soul Edge.

Nightmare raised her foul blade high in the air and used Soul Wave, a burst of red energy pouring out of Soul Edge's eye. It clung onto the souls of the innocents and she smiled. They would all be claimed by her.

She summoned a wall of flames to consume a nearby house, burning its occupants to dust. She could hear them screaming in agony and Inferno groaned happily from within Soul Edge. "Yes, give me what I seek! So hungry!"

"As you command." Nightmare activated Soul Charge, amplifying her strength and magical abilities at the cost of lowering her aura. Her armor was nigh impenetrable, and she bristled when she felt a holy presence nearby. Something that could cleanse even her evil.

Soul Calibur was here.

The blonde knight growled, her anger giving her strength. She would destroy Soul Calibur and rip Pyrrha's life away from her in the most brutal of fashions. There would be nothing left of her corpse by the time she was done.

"That's right, my child. We will destroy that sword and send them into the depths of Chaos. Now find the general and slaughter him, for he holds the fragment we week."

The girl that was once Jane Arc smiled coldly and spun her zweihander in her mutated arm. They would all soon know that it was her that had come for them and ripped their souls from their soft fleshy prison.

A few bullets pinged off her armor and Nightmare laughed at the Atlesian soldiers who fired on her. "You think that will kill me? Pathetic."

She used her sword as a shield as she began to charge towards the soldiers, deflecting the high caliber dust rounds with ease. Soul Edge absorbed each hit with ease, the massive blade far too thick and heavy to be broken by any normal means.

Nightmare reached her attackers and with one mighty swing cut them in half. Her cursed sword tore through armor and flesh easily, blood pouring onto the ground like rain. The souls of three more humans were absorbed by Soul Edge and she could hear Inferno's hungry growl. "Yes, my dear. Kill them like the helpless little sheep they are. They are mere food for us."

He was right. Humans and Faunus alike were nothing more than the most succulent of meat for Soul Edge's power. In the sword's eye Nightmare could hear the screams of a thousand innocent souls, begging for her to end their torment. They would not be let off so easy. Their suffering would last an eternity, and she'd enjoy every second of it.

Their blood steadily dripped from the single edge of her zweihander, and she looked at the academy in the distance with her lip curled up in a sneer. Her goal was within reach of her cruel grasp. She just needed to exterminate the pests that currently blocked her bloody path.

She couldn't use Meteorain again for at least another few minutes. Her power was still in a cycle of cooling down and right now she resented that limit. She was a god amongst men, capable of feats no huntsman could ever accomplish.

Nightmare raised her sword in the air and sent another burst of Soul Edge's magic into the sky, ordering the Grimm to focus on Atlas's ships to take down their air support. The ground thundered as a large Atlesian battle mech approached her, no doubt piloted by one of their best aces.

"So, this is the Azure Knight. Your end is here, girl," the pilot hissed, one of the mech's hands turning into a powerful drill that would take out even a Leviathan. It came crashing down, aiming for her malfested arm.

Nightmare merely smiled and sidestepped, swinging her sword over her shoulder and slamming it down through the mechanical limb. The massive blade cut through metal and wires and with a blast of her fire magic she sent the mech onto its back.

She leapt into the air with Soul Edge above her head, ready to sink the massive blade into the cockpit. However the mech scrambled out of the way and kicked her in the chest.

Her aura shattered from the blow, but her armor was still intact. "Soul Edge, grant me strength!" She activated her Soul Charge again and focused her life essence through the vile sword, spinning the blade above her head. "Death awaits you!"

Nightmare growled and swung her sword again, and her glowing eyes blazed with all the fury of a dark goddess as Soul Edge tore through the mech's legs. The scream of twisting metal echoed in her ears and the mech toppled in a heap of metal. Its main cannon fired at her in desperation, desperately hoping it could kill her. The blast of lightning dust soared over her head harmlessly and she smiled. It was done for. What little morale the remaining Atlesian soldiers had was sure to be shattered once they saw their pride and joy was nothing more than a pile of junk.

Nightmare's human hand became engulfed in fire and she incinerated the remains with the most unforgiving of flames. She heard the mech's occupant scream in agony as the furious flames of her magic devoured him, the sheer heat melting and twisting the cockpit into a heap of molten metal.

Nightmare felt a rush of power as Soul Edge devoured his soul and she stepped away from the wreckage, watching in admiration as her Grimm ran through the city. "Excellent work. Feast upon their entrails."

She let out a demonic laugh that would chill one's very soul, freezing their blood in their veins and making them turn into a horrorstruck deer waiting to be slaughtered. The blonde knight placed her sword over her shoulder and marched to the gates of the school.

The skies would be stained with blood tonight.

Pyrrha watched as the ground trembled and the flames that engulfed the kingdom grew bigger and bigger. 'Jane…I know you're still in there somewhere.'

The redhead gripped Soul Calibur tightly in her hand, turning away from the scene of death and destruction. Bursts of flame shone brightly below, piercing the thick smoke that was starting to cover the sky. Jane was drawing nearer, no doubt seeking both the fragment of Soul Edge and to destroy Soul Calibur.

They had to end this, here and now.

"Pyrrha?" Nora turned around as Pyrrha started to head for the door to go into the city.

Her head was low for a moment and she took a deep breath. "Jane is down there, Nora. I have to stop her. I'm the only one who can."

"You're not going alone," Ren said, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze. "If you're going down there, then so are we. She was our friend and teammate, too."

Cloud let out a sigh and pulled out his own sword, resting it against his shoulder. "You kids definitely aren't going alone. You'll need someone down there to watch your asses, and I think you'll find I'm quite qualified for the job."

"You mean you just want a good fight before your retirement." Qrow let out a snort of laughter and thumped him on the back with a grin. "Alright then. Zas, you and Spiky are with me and Pyrrha. Nora and Ren, your job is to keep the Grimm off our asses. The General's going to evacuate any civilians to prevent this from being another Beacon attack."

This was it. This was the time they put a stop to Soul Edge, for good.

Pyrrha felt Soul Calibur hum in her hands, as if the holy sword longed to clash with its evil counterpart. Perhaps it did; after all it was the only weapon capable of harming the foul blade. But Pyrrha knew perfectly well what Jane was now capable of as Nightmare. She had killed countless of trained warriors on her bloody path, slaughtering them without hesitation or mercy. She was a hateful monster, death and darkness incarnate.

It fell on Pyrrha to stop her and return her to the girl she knew and loved. 'I can do this. I have to. I'm the only one who can save her. Soul Calibur chose me for a reason, and that reason is that I can save her.'

She watched as a burst of malevolent red energy fired into the sky, now showing the plane of Astral Chaos above them. it was truly frightening to see the dark energy and dark blue dimension in contrast to the formerly clear skies, now turning a sickly red hue thanks to Jane using Soul Edge to rip it open.

The redhead's eyes widened at the devastation. Dozens of Atlas's finest airships were nothing more than smoking ruins, having been completely overrun by the army of Grimm. This was the strongest military force on the planet, and it was being completely decimated. They were simply too many of them. 'So much death. The army of Grimm that destroyed Beacon wasn't even half of this size. Is Jane commanding them, or is it Soul Edge's power they are being draw to?'

A sickening pit of briefly settled in her stomach and she banished the discomfort away. She couldn't afford to be distracted, not when they had a very important mission that would dictate whether or not Remnant survived or was turned into a ball of fire and glass.

"You guys ready?" Pyrrha asked, gripping Calibur tightly in her hand.

Nora and Ren answered with firm nods, drawing their weapons.

"Okay. let's do this. Let's free Jane from Soul Edge."

They started to make their way down the spiral staircase of Atlas's CCT tower and the ground began to tremble and shake. Pyrrha stumbled as did everyone else, and both Qrow and Cloud used their massive swords as a crutch to prevent from toppling over. "What the hell was that!?"

Pyrrha glanced out the window and her eyes widened as she saw a giant inferno soaring towards them. "GET DOWN!"

Everyone hit the deck as fast as they could as the wave of fire hit the tower. There was a loud groan of breaking metal and the entire tower shook, raining dust and bits of concrete onto them.

"Shit. That was Nightmare," Qrow muttered, dusting himself off and getting to his feet. "We don't have much time. We need to get out of here, now. Spiky, do your job and blast us a hole out of here. We don't have the time to take a damned leisurely stroll."

Cloud gave him a two finger salute and let his hands become covered with fire before he blasted a giant hole in the tower's wall, big enough for them all to jump through and close enough to the ground without them worrying about shattering their aura upon landing.

The group jumped down from the hole Cloud made, ready to meet their foe, and Pyrrha's heart sank when she laid eyes on the girl she loved. "Jane…"

Jane's body was encased in heavy dark blue armor and a long torn cape flapped behind her. Her malfested arm was twisted and gnarled, with several harsh white spikes jutting out from near her shoulder. Her glowing red eyes blazed with hatred and her teeth were bared in a snarl as she took a step closer to them, the cursed sword Soul Edge firmly in her human hand. "He needs souls. Many souls. He needs human souls!"

Zasalamel stood next to Pyrrha with his scythe at the ready, eyes narrowed. "We are not letting you get passed us to get the fragment."

Jane's lip curled up in a sneer. "Then die like the rest of them!"

With a movement much faster than Pyrrha believed, the blonde knight swung her zweihander. A blur of grey flashed before the redhead's eyes, and to her surprise she saw Siegfried Arc clashing with his granddaughter.

"I'm sorry, Jane. I didn't want it to be this way," he whispered hoarsely, struggling against her inhuman strength. "But I can't let you do this any longer. Fight it!"

Qrow and Cloud each went opposite directions to try and flank her, and Jane took a step back and swung her sword with the ferocity of a hurricane. Jane's body groaned under the pain, and she let out a deathly scream before her body became cloaked in the same dark red magic that they had seen earlier.

"She's activated her Soul Charge!" Cloud yelled. "Get back, now!"

With one vile swing, she caught Siegfried in the ribs with the back of her malfested hand, pushing the much older man away from her.

"Nora, Ren! Focus on the Grimm! We'll handle her!" Pyrrha yelled over the sounds of clashing metal. The two went to run into the city and Jane's lips curved into a cold smile.

With one flick of her wrist, she created a wall of flames around them, preventing them from getting through. "None of you can escape the sword of despair…none of you."

"Well great. The more the merrier," Zasalamel muttered dryly. "Kids, hit her from long range. We'll handle the up close and personal fight."

"Open fire!" Ren started to fire his machine pistols and Nora fired a few grenades at her. If they timed this right they could break through her aura and make her drop Soul Edge before it was too late.

Jane's head snapped around and a magical barrier prevented her from being hit by the dust rounds; they harmlessly pinged off the shield and Pyrrha heard Cloud swear in irritation next to her. "Dammit. Barrier. Dust attacks won't break through that."

Jane glared at them and lunged forward with a fierce snarl. "Die like the rest of them!" Her sword met Siegfried's and Qrow's, and she let out a cold laugh. "Pathetic."

She thrust Soul Edge into the ground, blasting all of them back with a burst of energy. Pyrrha's head hit the ground hard and she blinked back stars as she struggled to her feet. 'What the hell was that?'

Her green eyes widened in horror when she saw Jane mounted on a horse of black magic rapidly charging Siegfried and Nora. "NO!"

Nora was able to roll out of the way in time, but Siegfried was not so lucky. Soul Edge tore through his aura and Pyrrha watched with wide eyes as he was cut down mercilessly. His eyes bulged briefly as the massive sword cut through him and his lifeless body fell to the ground in a heap of armor and blood, his zweihander falling next to him.

A sickly eye blinked open on the side of Soul Edge and Jane let out a groan as her grandfather's blood ran down the cruel blade. "So hungry…he needs more!"

"Siegfried…" Pyrrha closed her eyes briefly to pay her respects to the man who had just fallen fighting alongside them. She snapped them open and drew Calibur from its sheathe fully, the crystal blue blade shining brightly.

Jane's glowing eyes narrowed at the sight of the holy sword and her malfested arm pulsed and throbbed. "Calibur…!" She charged the redhead with a fierce roar and Pyrrha met her. The two swords clashed and she tried lash out with the scabbard of her blade. If this was Jane before she was malfested, she would've been fast enough get a blow.

But she was corrupted, no longer in control of her own body. At the moment she was nothing more than an empty puppet for Soul Edge. Jane swung with her sword again, the entire arc forcing everyone back again.

"She's stronger than I anticipated," Qrow grumbled, folding the blade of his sword down to fire a shotgun blast at the blonde knight. She let the bullets ping off her aura, not even noticing it. "Damn. Even a Nevermore would've felt that."

Jane glared at him as if she was insulted by the attack and was on them again with a vicious swing of Soul Edge. The heavy red sword collided with Zasalamel's scythe and she spun her blade around into her mutated hand to block a blow from Nora's hammer. Even outnumbered, she was a deadly enemy.

Pyrrha ran forward and took a few quick swings with Soul Calibur, hitting Jane's tough armor. The heavy blue metal cracked upon being touched by the holy sword and Jane let out a scream. Blood welled from the cuts, dripping onto the ground, and she turned to give Pyrrha a look filled with pure venom.

"Ah shit. Back up, now!" Qrow ordered. "She's about to use Soul Wave!"

"Not if I can help it!" Nora charged with her hammer ready, prepared to land a devastating blow onto Jane's chest.

"GET BACK!" Pyrrha screamed desperately, watching as Jane's mutated hand pulsed and throbbed.

Nora's heavy swing missed as the blonde stepped to the side and Jane grabbed her by the throat. The hammer wielder sputtered for breath and tried to break free, and Jane threw her into Cloud with more than enough force to break both of their auras.

Nora and Cloud struggled to get up and they were thankfully bought some time by Zasalamel and Qrow, the two trying to keep the demon at bay. But their strikes were constantly being blocked by Soul Edge, and Jane let out another groan. "So hungry…I must feed him…"

She focused her aura and dealt another devastating hit to the two men, forcing the two to jump back to avoid being dismembered by Soul Edge. Ren fired on her again and Pyrrha tried to get close to land another hit on her. If she could just force her to drop Soul Edge, then perhaps they had a chance of stopping her before more people she cared about were killed.

Bullets pinged off of her armor and she faced them with a growl. Her hand glowed orange and she cast another devastating fire spell at them, forcing them to die out of the way. They were still surrounded by the wall of flames from earlier and the sheer heat of them was making Pyrrha sweat more than usual. Jane's body could be pushed passed its limits thanks to it being possessed. Theirs could not and it was only a matter of time before fatigue caught up with them.

'We have to end this, quickly!' Pyrrha stood up and wiped soot from her face, Calibur tight in her grasp.

Soul Edge began to glow again and Jane raised it into the sky, activating her Soul Charge again. The deadly red aura cloaked her body once more and she was on them like a starved Beowolf. With one arc of her blade she sent them all back and this time she focused on Qrow, dishing out heavy blows that steadily drained his aura.

Soul Edge collided with his sword and splintered it, sending shards of metal everywhere. A few of them lodged in Qrow's shoulder and he tried desperately to yank it out. Before he could, Nightmare's malfested claw found itself imbedded in his body and he hacked up a mouthful of blood. With her eyes cold she tossed him onto the ground like a broken doll, the remains of his weapon falling beside him.

Qrow had fallen, and Soul Edge glowed with the power of absorbing the soul of yet another courageous warrior. Two of the best fighters were already dead.

"Qrow…" Tears stung the corners of Nora's eyes and with a desperate wail she charged the girl who was once her friend and teammate.

"Nora, no!" Ren and Cloud ran to stop her, Pyrrha casting some of her ice magic to hopefully distract Jane. Shards of ice lodged in her malfested arm yet she barely seemed to notice. She flipped her blade around and swung it, the thick red fleshy end hitting the three away. Soul Calibur absorbed the blow without being harmed, but Pyrrha still felt the jolt in her muscles. The sheer power behind Jane's strikes was incredible; it was no wonder she was cutting through them like paper.

Nora's hammer was ready to smash her head in and it met Soul Edge's wide blade. Zasalamel came up from behind with a swing of his scythe, ready to impale the girl and tear through her armor.

Jane glanced over her shoulder and kicked Nora away to block the attack from the scythe user, her body still glowing red. Pyrrha panted for breath as she got up, focusing her aura to take the weariness out of her body. This was by far the most difficult fight of her life and she didn't know how in the world they were going to pull off a victory. Jane showed no signs of fatigue despite being incased in much heavier armor than any of them and without hesitation leapt at her own father.

"Dammit Jane, snap out of this! Fight back!" Cloud gritted his teeth, struggling to hold his footing against his corrupted daughter after Zasalamel had been knocked back. Jane's body glowed white and Pyrrha's heart sank as she let out the most pained scream that would freeze one's blood in their veins. It was a wail of pure anguish and after she kicked Cloud away she held her head in her hands.

But Soul Edge was not about to give up its host without a fight, for the blonde's eyes were still red and alight with flame. Pyrrha blinked and leapt back into the fray with a series of quick attacks, all of them meeting Soul Edge. Green eyes met red and Pyrrha could see the pain and suffering in Jane's stare. She was trying to fight back against the evil that had consumed her, but she was losing.

'Jane, I'm sorry.' Despite everything Jane had done as Nightmare, Pyrrha couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. This was never what the blonde had wanted to do. She was just so afraid of being weak and hating herself for it, and yet she had been forced to become the very thing she feared. Soul Edge fed greedily on her fear, torturing her mind and turning her into this azure knight of darkness.

Taking a deep breath, she got back into a stance and leapt with a swing of Calibur. The holy sword cut through part of Jane's aura, and she was surprised at just how much of it she had. She knew that Jane had unusually high aura reserves when she helped the girl unlock it during initiation, but it seemed even stronger now; either that or her armor was absorbing a lot of the punishment for her. Either way, they weren't doing enough damage to slow her down and rip Soul Edge away from her.

Jane's sword again soared towards them and this time it met two of its intended targets. Ren and Nora screamed as the vile sword ripped through them, leaving jagged wounds behind. The two fell in heaps and Jane dragged the very tip of Soul Edge on the ground, sending sparks flying. "Do you see the truth, now? None of you are a match for my blade."

Pyrrha looked around for Cloud and Zasalamel, and to her horror both of them had also fallen. Their bodies were still and unmoving, their weapons bloody and on the ground beside them. That last strike by Jane was enough to take down the most experienced fighters with ease, one of whom was once a wielder of Soul Calibur. She was the only one left. 'Everyone…everyone is gone.'

Pyrrha looked at Jane and sheathed Calibur, taking a deep breath. "I'm so sorry, Jane. I never wanted to do this. I never wanted to fight you." 'I hoped I could end this without killing you. I never wanted to hurt you.'

Jane raised Soul Edge high and swung, prompting Pyrrha to duck. She focused her aura through her sword and blasted the blonde back, making her stumble. 'Now!' She lunged forward and slashed through Soul Edge. Jane screamed in agony as Soul Calibur cut through the cursed sword, and Pyrrha jumped over a desperate swing. The holy sword sprung free of its sheathe again and this time sank directly into Soul Edge's eye.

Jane fell to the ground with another pained scream, unable to handle the pain in her mind and very soul. Her limbs thrashed wildly, her body spasming as her screams echoed.

Pyrrha made her way over to the fallen Soul Edge and stabbed Calibur into it again, twisting it. The sword fragmented, and Pyrrha felt a stabbing pain in her chest followed by wetness. She looked down and saw a glowing red shard of Soul Edge embedded in her.

She had succeeded in freeing Jane without killing her. That was enough for her. Aura wouldn't heal that kind of terrible wound, but in a way she able to smile as she sank to her knees and let Soul Calibur fall into Soul Edge's remains. "I…I did it…"

She crawled over to Jane's motionless form, entwining her hand with hers and leaning up to give her cheek a quick kiss. 'I just wish I could've heard you say my name one last time.' "I love you Jane…"

Pyrrha closed her eyes with a smile on her face and embraced the inky darkness.

The entire battlefield was still, save for the flickering flames that had started to die once Soul Edge was destroyed. The smoking embers littered the streets, along with rubble from the destroyed buildings.

The armor of the azure knight had long since fallen from its host, lying in a heap of molten metal that had been warped by Soul Calibur's cleansing power.

Everything was quiet, and then a pair of bright blue eyes slowly blinked open.

A/N: And that's a wrap, folks. Another fic to cross off the list. In terms of enjoyment, this one was definitely near the top of the list. This last chapter was a bit of a pain in the ass, but I still had a lot of fun. There will be a second story, based heavily on Siegfried's story in Soul Calibur VI. After all, there are a few loose ends still left untied, and I don't plan on leaving them go unnoticed. Until next time, people!

-DPLxStrife

C. Strife #5371